"Cleaner in tea severely burns patron at Utah restaurant" Associated Press August 16, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY — A woman who drank sweet tea that authorities say was mistakenly mixed with a highly toxic industrial cleaning solution at a Utah restaurant has deep, ulcerated burns in her upper esophagus, a family attorney said Friday....
‘‘The news was very disappointing and disheartening for the family,’’ lawyer Paxton Guymon said in a statement. ‘‘The burns were deeper and more extensive than we had hoped.’’
Investigators and the restaurant manager have told the Hardings that a worker mistook the cleaning product for sugar and mixed large quantities into the iced-tea dispenser. The cleaning product is meant for degreasing deep fryers and contains the odorless chemical lye, used in drain cleaners.
When ingested, the chemical starts dissolving a person’s insides, said Tom Richmond, professor of chemistry at the University of Utah.
South Jordan police are investigating how it ended up in the sweet-tea container, but they think it was accidental.
Jan Harding, 67, took one sip before spitting it out and exclaiming to her husband: ‘‘I think I just drank acid.’’
Investigators are reviewing video footage and interviewing staff. No arrests were made.
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